Contrary to popular belief, chicken breasts are not always easy to cook, especially when you are experimenting with recipes for the first time. Undercooked or overcooked food is a common problem that arises for newbie chefs and different cooking methods. The good news is that using an alternative technique makes it possible to prepare well-cooked chicken breast that still retains its juiciness within golden crispy skin.

Chicken breasts are vulnerable to drying up during cooking. Preparation is essential for ensuring that your sous vide chicken breast remains juicy. The meaning of the French term ous vide’ is under a vacuum’, which is a process that requires you to seal the bag of food before cooking it at an accurate temperature inside a water bath.

Cooking the chicken in water is a popular method for making sure your food is always cooked through, which is great when you do not want to keep on wondering when exactly you should take it out of the oven. Temperature control is the secret to moist and juicy chicken breasts. This level of control can only be achieved when you cook with the sous vide technique.

One of the dishes that shows a significant difference when you use the side vide approach in comparison to conventional cooking methods is chicken breast. Fortunately, this makes it easier to cook, and here is a quick guide to show you how to make it.

TEMPERATURE RANGE

The ideal temperature and timing will depend on the type of texture or doneness you want for your sous vide chicken breast. Temperature generally ranges from 140 to 160 degrees while timing is between 1 and 4 hours.

• Juicy and soft chicken breast requires a temperature of 140 and at least 1.5 hours for cooking.

• For juicy and tender chicken breast, a temperature of 150 along with 1 to 4 hours of cooking time are recommended.

• Conventionally firm and juicy chicken breast can be achieved with a temperature of 160 and 1 to 4 hours for cooking.

RECIPE

Sous Vide Chicken Breast with Lemon and Herbs

Anne from Upstate Ramblings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Cast Iron Skillet
  • Sous Vide Immersion Circulator
  • Cooking Container

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breast bone-in
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp oil or butter
  • 1 tsp capers

Instructions
 

  • Set up your sous-vide cooker with a water bath at 145°F.
  • Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper to taste. Put each chicken breast in a FoodSaver bag with 2 slices of lemon and a sprig of both thyme and rosemary. Vacuum seal; OR put the ingredients in a food storage bag.
  • When the sous vide cooker has reached 145°F add the chicken to the water bath and let it cook for between 1 1/2 to 4 hours. 
  • When the chicken is almost done heat a cast iron or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Add the tablespoon of oil or butter.
  • Take the chicken out of the bag and throw out the lemon and herbs. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • Brown the chicken in the skillet for a minute or so until the chicken is nice and brown on top.
  • Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes or so until it is cool enough to handle.
  • Use your thumb to peel the chicken from the breast bone. It should come right off. Then slice the chicken diagonally and serve with lemons, capers, and herbs.

Notes

 - If using frozen chicken breasts increase the cooking time to 2 1/2 hours to 4 hours.
 - If using boneless chicken breasts you can decrease the minimum cooking time to 1 hour.
Keyword chicken, lemon, sous vide

SOUS VIDE FOR BETTER RESULTS

Sous vide cooking offers several advantages when preparing chicken breasts. Cooking them at ideal temperatures for a longer time helps to enhance the tenderness of texture along with creating a positive effect on lifestyles and general health.

Cooking sous vide chicken breasts guarantees the following:

• Outstanding flavor

• Healthier outcome

• Improved texture

• Perfectly cooked

• Hassle-free cooking

• Convenience with sous vide frozen chicken breast

TASTE

Sous vide chicken breast is a great treat for any taste buds. Since the chicken is vacuum-sealed inside a bag, it does not lose its moisture or weight during the cooking process. Its original aroma, color, flavor and form are all retained. This also enables you to maximize on the potential of other cuts of chicken.

HEALTHY COOKING

The enhanced flavors of sous vide frozen chicken breast means that minimal or no extra fat and salt are required while cooking. Additionally, sealing the chicken in a vacuum ensures that nutritional components are retained during cooking unlike other cooking techniques such as steaming and boiling.

TEXTURE

Along with being extremely tasty, you also experience the amazing texture of the chicken. You no longer have to deal with chewy or soggy food as sous vide chicken is moist and tender while maintaining its color and crispiness if that’s how you want to eat it.

CONSISTENCY

Due to extreme temperature control, you can prepare the same dish repeatedly and expect the same results every time. The water bath that is used for sous vide is all about precision and making sure that the temperature is properly controlled.

NO OVERCOOKED OR UNDERCOOKED FOOD

When using other cooking methods, you may end up with pieces of chicken that are cooked on the outside and still raw on the inside. Cooking the chicken until it is well done inside can result in burnt or overcooked food. Taking the sous vide path means you never have to worry about chewy and undercooked meals. The chicken breasts will be cooked evenly and completely at the right temperature with the option of searing or browning them afterwards. Overcooking chicken in a water bath is not an issue.

ORGANIZED COOKING

One of the major benefits of sous vide when cooking chicken breasts is that it lets you take more control of timing. Chicken can be prepared and sealed in advance and cooked slowly in the oven. You will be able to go back to the kitchen and serve the dish anytime you are ready or sous vide the chicken breasts overnight.

FAST AND EASY

Using a water bath is a simple process. After preparing the chicken breasts, all you have to do is place the bag inside the water bath at a suitable temperature. Several meals can be easily and quickly cooked in a shorter time.

LARGE PORTIONS

Sous vide also eases the process of cooking several portions for bigger groups, which is great when you want to cook for many guests or parties. With sous vide cooking; you can also reduce wastage by cooking individual portions along with cutting down on the energy costs that are associated with electric or gas ovens.

CONVENIENCE

Chicken breasts cooked through the sous vide technique can be cooled quickly and frozen when necessary, which means you have the option of thawing sous vide frozen chicken breast and reheating it later on.

CONCLUSION

Once the domain of professional chefs and restaurants, sous vide is a cooking method that is steadily becoming mainstream. This method involves using accurate temperature control to deliver quality and consistent results that established and high-end eateries are known for. It has gained popularity among more home cooks who are taking advantage of the simplicity and affordability of precision cookers.

Sous vide chicken breasts are vacuum-sealed in a bag and cooked at precise temperatures inside a water bath. Using this technique makes it possible to produce results that you cannot achieve when you use other methods to cook chicken breast. Sous vide is a relatively easy way to cook with simple steps.

It starts with attaching the precision cooker to the pot of water and setting the temperature and time according to how well done you want your chicken to be. The chicken breasts are placed in a bag that is sealed and clipped to the pot. This process is completed by grilling or searing the chicken to create a golden and crispy outer layer.

There are several reasons to cook sous vide chicken breast. Conventional cooking methods do not allow you to control temperature and heat, which makes it hard to cook amazing food consistently. The food is usually overcooked with minimal flavor and a chewy, dry texture. Sous vide effectively eliminates these challenges.